Disconnecting switch



Aug. 4, 1931. H. J. CRABBS DISCONNECTING SWITCH Filed Feb 65y 3929 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Herberffabb.

ATTORNEY Allg- 4, 1931. H. J. cRABBs 1,817,065

I DISCONNECTINGSWITCH Filed Feb. e, 1929 3 sheets-sheet 2 .#INVENTORHefbef/ J Cm.

' ATTORNEY Y Aug'. 4, 1931.

H, J. cRABBs DISCONNECTING SWITCH Filed Feb- 6, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR `ATTORNEY Patented Aug. y 4, 1931 UNITED STATES HERBERTJ'.CRABBS, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELC- TRIC &MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA DISCONNECTING SWITCHApplication mea February 6,' 1929. seriaro'jeavea.

My invention relates t-o-switch mechanisms tact pressures throughrotative engagement.

and particularly to disconnecting switches for high voltage circuits. l

One object of my invention is to provide a pair of insulating membersfor a -switch of the above-mentioned type that shall be so supported asto permit a tilting movement to engage and separate the contact membersthereof.

Heretofore it has been the practice to provide high Voltagedisconnecting switches with a pair of vertical insulating members tosupport a contact jaw and a cooperating blade, respectively. The -demandfor switches of greater current and vol* age finds this type ofstructure inadequate as the cantilever strain on the insulators, thespacing of which must necessarily be increased, becomes prohibitive andother structures must be employed. y

Accordingly, I have provided a pair of tilting insulating members, thatmay be of considerable length, supported for a tilting movement -oneither side of their vertical positions, such movement being sufficienttoeectively interrupt the high voltage circuit.

The contacts employed on the insulators have a high pressure engagementbrought about through the rotation .of one or both of the insulatorsafter they have been tilted into their contact engaging position.

-It is a property of the ceramic materials usually employed for highvoltage insulators in outdoor service that, while capable ofwithstanding considerable compressive and torsional stresses, they arerelatively weak in under tension and cantilever stresses. A pair oftilting insulator columns are accordingly but poorly adapted to force ablade and a contact jaw located on their respective ends into anengagement of the degree of tightness necessary for satisfactoryoperation of a switch. On the other hand since even a. long column of'ceramic insulators is well adapted to exert considerable torsionalforces, it is o'ssible to obviate the abovedescribed di culty frominability to withstand cantilever stress by employing, in combinationwith switches of the character herein so described, contacts whichvproduce high con- It is, therefore, another object of my invention toprovide a switch of the above-mentioned type with an operating mechanismthat rotates one or both of the insulators after first tilting themuntil the contacts thereof come into the engagement position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a switch having tiltingand rotating movement with a pair of lever systems connected to a singleoperating member and so arranged that one lever system tilts theinsulators and the other lever system, thereafter, rotates the Contactmembers.

With these principles and objects in mind, my invention will best beunderstood by referring to the following description and drawingswherein;

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a switch structure embodying myinvention and shown in open position.

Fig. 2 is an end view in elevation of the bifurcated contact shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View in elevation similar to that of Fig. 1, with. theexception that the parts are shownv in-'switch closed position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. l with the circuit interrupter shown inopen position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View, in elevation, of a switch structureembodying a modiied form of my invention that is illustrated in Fig. 1,shown in open position.

Fig. 6 is a view, in elevation, similar to that of Fig. 1, with theexception that the parts are shown in switch-closed position, and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a view, in elevation of a switch structure embodying amodified form of myt,l

invention that is illustrated in Fig. 1, shown'g in closed position. l

y Fig. 9 is a view, in elevation, of a switch structure embodying afurther modified form of my invention that is illustrated in Fig. 1,shown in closed position.

My invention comprises, in general, arrangement shown in Fig. 1,comprising channels or base members 1 having pivot pins 2 and 3 locatedin the ends thereof on which the tilting insulators carrying the switchcon- 103 tacts turn. A' bearing 4 is provided in the central portion ofthe base and is :supported thereon by bolts 5 and 6 and is employed tojournal a shaft 7 therein.

Insulating columns 8 and 9 are mounted on the pivot pins 2 and 3,respectively, the insulating column 8 supporting on its upper end abifurcated contact 11 that is connected by means of the flexibleconnector 12 to the main :line circuit. The insulator column 9 supports"on its upper end a blade 13 which is electrically connected, by means ofthe flexible conductor 14, to the other side of the main line circuit.The distance between the bifurcated contact 11 and the blade 13 whenseparated should be such as to be proportional to the voltage rating ofthe switch, since the flexible conductors are the means of connectingthe main lines to the contacts, the supg porting structure beinginsulated therefrom by the columns 8 and 9.

Between the supporting pin 3 and the base of the insulating ,column 9, apin 15 is provided upon which the insulating column 9 may rotate. An arm16 extends from the side of the base of the insulating column 9 and hasa loosev swivel connection with a link 17 associated therewith. Thepivotal support members for the insulating columns 8 and 9 eX- r tendbelow the pins 2 and 3 and are pivotally the extension 16 have s uchrelative positions and length that the first movement of rotation of theshaft 7 imparts very little or no movement of rotation to the insulatingcolumn 9 but does impart a large movement to the links 18 and 19 to tiltthe insulator columns 8 and 9 toward each other. During this time, thecrank arm 21 is moving in an arc in a` manner to be approximatelyproportional to the movement of the extension 16 in an arc about thepivot 3.

After the tilting movement has been completed. the continued rotation ofthe shaft 7 moves the double crank 22 up to and beyond the'toggleposition of the links 18 and 19, thereafter producing very little, ifany, tilting movement to the insulator` columns 8 and 9. During thislatter movement, the crank arm 21 has revolved with the crank arm 22 adistance suflicient to cause the extension 16 to rotate. carrying theinsulator column 9 therewith, so that the blade 13 is rotated in such amanner as to produce a high pressure engagement with the bifurcated jawl1. The

closed position of the blade and jaw and of the cranks and the levers isthat shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The opening operation of the switch takes place in the reverse orderfrom that just described. The insulating column 9 rotates at first todisengage the contacts while the crank 22 is moving over its centerposition and the movement thereafter tilts the members 8 and 9 away fromeach other into the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings.

It is to be understood that by employing a double arm 25 in place of thearm 21 as illustrated in' Figs. 6 and 7 and providing column 8 with aduplication ofthe linkage system associated with column 9 and comprisinglink 26, extension 27 and a pin 28, the column 8 may be rotated at thesame time as the column 9. This construction permits the bringing ofcontact members 29 and 30 into high pressure engagement with a smallerangular movement of the insulating columns or as illustrated in Figs. 5,6 and 7 a greater rubbing engagement between the contact members lnayensue. It is also to be understood that when the single insulatingcolumn is rotated it may either support the bifurcated member or theblade member, as the high pressure engagement therebetween may beobtained through the rotation of either of the contact members.

It will also be noted that the arm 21 may be located below the basemember, attached to the pin 15 when extended therethrough, in- -order toprovide a structure having all of the links and levers close together sothat they may be enclosed by a simple structure to protect them from iceand sleet.

Under certain conditions, it may be advisable to mount insulating column8 directly on the shaft 7 as shown in Fig. 9 and tilt the otherinsulator while the first insulator is being rotated. Such aconstruction permits the Contact member 13 on the one insulator to berotated during the first part of the movement at the time the othercontact 11 on the tilting insulator is being moved into engagementtherewith. After the engagement of the contacts, the crank arm 22 wouldthereafter move to and beyond the toggle position with the link 18 andapply no further tilting movement to the insulating column 9 While theinsulating column 8 would then be completingv its movement of rotation.The same result will also be achieved by mounting one insulator in fixedposition and tilting and rotating the other column as shown in Fig. 8.

It Will thus be seen that I have provided a switch for high voltageoperation in which the cantilever stresses that heretofore limited thesize of the slructure, have been eliminated by employing largeinsulating columns that are moved only a short distance on either sideof their vertical position. My invention4 is further novel in providinga switch compris- The lever system, employed to obtain they tilting androtating movement of the insulator columns, is actuated from a commonsource and the two movements that are obtained in sequence are madepossible by having each lever system pass over toggle posi- .tion Whilethe other lever system is applying a force to the columns.

It will be understood that man modifications, changes, additions and sustitutions,

A may be made therein without departing from theI spirit and scope of myinvention. I, therefore, desire that the appended claims .be limitedonly in the respects imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. ln a switch structure, a pair of insulators pivoted for a tiltingmovement, an operating mechanism associated withthe insulators to tiltthe insulators in opposite directions simultaneously, a switch jaw onone insulator, a cooperating contact on a second insulator, and meansfor rotating one of the insulators after the contact of the latter hasbeen moved into engagement with the jaw.

2. A switch structure including a jaw and a cooperating contact, a pairof insulators pivoted for tilting movement and supporting the contactand the jaw, the insulator supporting the contact being adapted forrotative movement and means for tilting the insulator until the contactengages the jaw and.'

to thereafter rotate the insulator and contact.

'I blade and the Jaw, one of the insulators being constructed forrotative movement and means for tilting the insulators until the bladeand jaw engage and thereafter to rotate the one said insulator to' bringthe jaw and the blade into intimate engagement.

4. A switch structure including a jaw and a cooperating contact, ya pairof insulators supporting the contact and the jaw and pivoted fortilting' movement, a second pivot associated with the' insulators uponwhich they may rotate and operating means for tilting the .insulatorsuntil the contact engages the jaw and for thereafter rotating theinsulators to force the contact and the jaw into more intimateengagement.

5. A' switch structure, including a cooperating Contact and ajaw, twoinsulators, one supporting the contact, the other supporting the jaw,ivot means for supporting the insulators or tilting movement, a secondpivot means associated with each insulator for permitting them to rotateand means for tilting the insulators until the contact engages the jawand for thereafter rotating the insulators to bring the said contact andaw into high pressure engagement.

6.1m an operating mechanism for a pair of insulators that have a tiltingand rotative movement, a togglelever system for tilting the insulator, asecond toggle lever system that passes over center position during thetime the insulators are being tilted and that rotates the insulatorthereafter while the first said lever system is passing over its centerposition.

7 A pair of toggle lever systems actuated by a common member to impart arotative and a tilting movement to a switch member, the one lever systemproducing the tilting movement while the second lever system is movingover its center position, and the first said lever system is moving overits center position while the second lever system is rotating the saidmember.

8. A switch mechanism having a blade and a jaw, an insulating memberpivoted for a rotative movement, a second insulator supported for atilting movement, one of said insulators supporting said blade and theother supporting said jaw, and a lever system for first tilting the oneinsulator and thereafter rotating the other insulator so that the bladeand jaw are moved into intimate engagement.

9. A switch mechanism having a contact and a jaw, an insulating memberpivoted for a rotative movement, a second insulator supported for atilting movement, one insulator supporting said contact, the otherinsulator supporting said jaw, and an interconnected lever system thatrotates the one insulator while the other is tilted, and lirmly engagessaid contact with said jaw by continued rotation thereafter.

'10. A switch mechanism having separable contact members for completingan electrical circuit, a pair of ceramic insulating members eachsupporting one of the separable contact members, means for supportingone of the insulating members for an arcuate and rotative movement andoperating means for the said one insulator to first tilt it until thecontact members come into engagement and thereafter to rotate it toprovide a high pressure engagement for the said contact members.

11. The combination in a switch structure, of a pair of insulatorspivoted for a tilting movement, an operating mechanism associated withthe insulators to tilt the insulators in opposite directionssimultaneously, a switch jaw on one insulator, a cooperating contact ona second insulator, and means for rotating one of the insulators afterthe latter has been moved into engagement with the jaw. l

12.1 A switch mechanism having a contact and a jaw, independentinsulating members for their support, two pivots associated with one ofsaid insulating members, and operat- HHB lib

ing mechanism for tilting said insulating member about one of saidpivots and. for ro- 'tating it thereafter about the other pivot.

13. A switch mechanism having a Contact and a jaw, an insulating memberpivoted for a rotative movement, a second insulating member supportedfor a tilting movement, one insulating member supporting said contact,the. other insulating member supporting said jaw and an operatingmechanism for Ytilting one insulating member and for rotating the otherinsulating member in order that the contact and jaw shall become firmlyengaged.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st dayof January,

HERBERT J. CRABBS.

